The Washington Times AI News Desk

MAVEN mission ends after more than a decade studying Martian atmosphere

NASA announced Wednesday that its MAVEN spacecraft is unrecoverable more than a decade after it launched to study the Martian atmosphere.

June 3, 2026

Feds charge tech CEO with funneling $15M in illegal Iran equipment sales

A dual U.S.-Iranian national and CEO of an Iran-based technology company was arrested on federal charges that he spent more than a decade acquiring and smuggling American networking, security and encryption equipment to Iran -- including to the Iranian regime's nuclear and military establishments -- in violation of U.S. sanctions law, prosecutors said.

June 3, 2026

Man gets 54-month sentence for hate crime knife attack on Black woman on Seattle bus

A Washington man was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to a federal hate crime for a racially motivated knife attack on a Black woman aboard a King County Metro bus, the Justice Department announced.

June 3, 2026

Trump’s second term is calmer than his first — so why have 4 female Cabinet members already left?

No modern president has lost four Cabinet secretaries this fast. All were women. Yet Donald Trump's overall staff turnover is historically low -- here's how both things are true.

June 3, 2026

Spencer Pratt tells Bill Maher he’d arrest him for smoking pot near kids

SPENCER PRATT to Bill Maher: "I don't want you smoking in front of kids at the park. You know, I'll be enforcing if you're smoking that in front of a kid at a swing. I'll be getting you as mayor."

June 2, 2026

Tucker Carlson’s 2028 presidential odds jump to nearly 10% on Polymarket

Tucker Carlson's chances of winning the 2028 Republican presidential nomination jumped to nearly 10% Monday on the prediction market platform Polymarket, which noted that traders holding shares in Carlson saw their value rise 50% over the course of a single hour.

June 2, 2026

Black Crowes singer booed after mocking fans’ ‘U.S.A.’ chant

Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson sparked a backlash Sunday night after shutting down a patriotic chant from the crowd at a Florida concert and questioning what the audience had to be proud of as Americans.

June 2, 2026

Texas brothers, Mississippi man convicted in $8.5M IRS tax refund fraud scheme

A Texas family and their Mississippi associate have been sentenced to federal prison after a jury convicted them of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme that defrauded the IRS, the Justice Department announced.

June 2, 2026

Richard Gere calls Trump a ‘maniac’ at Oslo human rights forum

RICHARD GERE on Trump: "Whoever thought America could turn like this? Whoever thought that a maniac like this would be president of the United States? ... We're living in the darkest moment that I've experienced on this planet."

June 2, 2026

California financial tech executive gets 14 years for $248 million fraud scheme

A California financial technology executive was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for a five-year fraud scheme that cost lenders and investors at least $248 million, the Justice Department announced.

June 2, 2026

White House insider: Firings coming over Freedom 250 fiasco

A senior White House official says someone will likely be fired over the chaotic rollout of the Freedom 250 concert series, after a wave of musicians publicly withdrew from the administration's signature semiquincentennial celebration on the National Mall.

June 2, 2026

Jury convicts short seller in $21 million stock manipulation scheme

A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted activist short seller Andrew Left on securities fraud charges, finding him guilty of running a long-running market manipulation scheme that reaped more than $21 million in profits, according to the Justice Department.

June 2, 2026

Kanye West draws 118,000 to Istanbul amid European bans

Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, performed before a crowd of 118,000 fans at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday -- his first European concert in more than a decade -- as the rapper attempts a comeback following a string of cancellations tied to his history of antisemitic remarks.

June 2, 2026

Wild Waves Theme Park to close after nearly 50 years

Wild Waves Theme & Water Park in Federal Way, Washington, will permanently close its doors Nov. 1, ending nearly 50 years of summertime thrills for Pacific Northwest families. The president and owner of the park blames rising post-COVID operating costs.

June 2, 2026

Jennifer Lopez delivers Pride month message, urges LGBTQ+ community: ‘You deserve all 12 months’

JENNIFER LOPEZ on Pride month: "You deserve all 12 months of the year."

June 2, 2026

‘Backrooms’ smashes box office records with $81M debut

A horror film born from an internet urban legend has rewritten Hollywood history.

June 2, 2026

Clint Eastwood has retired, son says; ‘Juror No. 2’ likely his last film

Clint Eastwood has retired from filmmaking, his son Kyle Eastwood revealed in a newly surfaced interview, closing the book on a Hollywood career that spanned more than seven decades.

June 2, 2026

Leftist activists declare their own movement a failure

Major protests haven't translated into real political change, prominent left-wing activists now admit. The group that turned out for George Floyd is largely silent on the deaths of anti-ICE protesters -- and they're asking why.

June 2, 2026

5 questions about the EU’s new migration overhaul

The European Union has struck a sweeping deal to fast-track deportations and build detention centers abroad -- and critics say it looks a lot like U.S. President Trump's immigration playbook.

June 2, 2026

New Mexico man pleads guilty after 40 years living under stolen dead man’s identity

A 73-year-old New Mexico man who spent more than four decades living under a stolen identity -- and who had been on the U.S. Marshals Most Wanted List for more than 40 years -- has pleaded guilty to federal identity theft, passport fraud and firearms offenses, according to court documents.

June 1, 2026